Gingrich hints he may drop from race this week

WILMINGTON, Del. – Newt Gingrich hinted he may withdraw from the presidential race if he has a poor showing in the Delaware primary Tuesday – a state where he has been actively campaigning for several weeks.

David Duprey / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks during a campaign stop in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, April 20, 2012.

"I think we need to take a deep look at what we are doing," Gingrich told NBC News in an exclusive interview on Monday. "We will be in North Carolina tomorrow night and we will look and see what the results are."

He acknowledged that he would have to "reassess" his campaign depending on how he fares in Delaware, a winner-take-all state with 17 delegates at stake.

"This has been a good opportunity for us, we have been here seeing a lot of people,” Gingrich said. “We have got really positive responses and I would hope we would do well here – either carry it or come very, very close."

Alex Moe/NBC News

Newt Gingrich is presented with a Delaware flag following a speech at the state GOP headquarters in Wilmington, DE Monday night, April 23.

Governor Mitt Romney, the presumptive GOP nominee, is expected to turn the page in his election night speech in New Hampshire tomorrow and shift his focus to the general election. This, according to Gingrich, is a "mistake."

"Gov. Romney is clearly the frontrunner but that doesn't mean he is inevitable,” Gingrich told a roughly 50 person crowd inside the Delaware GOP headquarters here. “It is very dangerous for frontrunners to start behaving like they are inevitable because the voters might decide that’s not so true. Frankly, I think it is a mistake for Romney to kick-off his general election campaign tomorrow in New Hampshire. He has about half the votes he needs to be nominated."

The Speaker heads to North Carolina tomorrow for a tour of the Billy Graham Library. The campaign also added an "election night rally" in the Charlotte area, which Gingrich has not held since late February.

As Gingrich remains in the race, his Secret Service detail remains alongside him. As questions are raised about the cost to taxpayers while the Speaker continues campaigning with an entourage of agents, Gingrich says he sees no problem with it and finds it "goofy" that people question if he should get rid of the detail.

"I mean, I am a candidate. We have exactly what we are legally supposed to have. Nothing more and nothing less," Gingrich told NBC News.